Minelab Instruction Manuals

As I am soon to be the owner of a new CTX 3030, I have been viewing the instruction manual, on-line, for this model. I cannot help but think that the manuals could take on a different format to make them easier to understand. In that respect, I believe that they could give examples of settings for a particular type of prospecting/detecting.

What do you think?

They sort of do Gary, coins, beach, silver, sort of self explanetory. What were you thinking? I guess I'm just used to minelab manuals.

It's good you're familiarising yourself with it before you buy it, I did the same for a month before I bought mine, was really in tune with what to expect and setups when I finally got it.

There are a lot of settings but it's not a very difficult detector to use, you can use as a switch on and go, takes a little while to learn to navigate to all the settings but in time you get used to it. Took me a few weeks to get used to it properly.

If you have any troubles when you get it just ask, I'll be happy to help answer any questions.

I bought Gary Drayton's book on Beach detecting using the CTX 3030, with the purchase, and it made things a lot clearer.

Heatho, I have a couple of questions though:-

Is the screen currently covered with one of those protector things like you use on the iPad?

I have had one quick swing so far, but the place I chose had gravel compacted below the grass covering. With a depth target of say 5", I have to allow for the 1 inch and a half that the coil is off the ground which makes the target depth 3 1/2" in the soil; is that the case?

Also the digging tool I got from Miners Den and similiar to yours, looks very much like a knife and comes in a knife-like sheath. We have laws about carrying a knife and I wonder if you or others have been questioned for being in possession of such a tool?

Do you detect on Coin or Silver mode? Do you always use the Pinpoint option?

Also I got a small 'cash back' offer from Miners Den, but to claim it, I have to post my bank account details on-line which I am rather reluctant to do. Am I being too over cautious?

Awesome Gary, glad the book helped make a bit more sense of the CTX for you.

Ok, if stock standard there is no screen protection. I made my own by cutting a piece of "Zagg Invisible Shield", it's tricky to get it right but not that hard, just follow the instructions.

One quirk with the depth function is it will say a $1 or $2 coin will register at 5cm but still be on the surface. If you get any target that says it's less than 5cm it will usually be large junk but not always, check it out to make sure. To answer your question though would be yes, the higher the coil is above the ground the deeper it will say the target is sitting.

Not sure about the digging tool mate, in my area I could probably get in trouble for carrying it but I sort of see it a bit like fishing, you sort of need a knife. Really can't help you with that one, though any reasonable officer would see that it's digging tool and not a knife and a warning would be hopefully all you got or not even a warning especially if your not being offensive with it.

I usuallu use the standard coin mode, I have made copies of that and modified settings for my own use, I have also made my own programs from scratch too such as my own Aussie Silver program and goldies program. All the programs in the CTX have the same parameters but are just different adjustments/settings of those parameters and also of course different discrimination patterns, they are in essence just all presets for switch on and go detecting for different scenarios that can be user tweaked for fine tuning.

I always use the pinpoint function when narrowing down a target, it works great, and then use my small pinpointer too for minimal ground disturbance. With the pinpointing too, switch on pinpoint trace and target trace too, that gives you the visual on the screen, these should be on by default but aren't.

Bank account details are fine to use such as BSB and account numbers, keep always your password to yourself though.

All the best with it mate lookimng forward to seeing what you find with it.

Hope this helps mate. Anymore questions just pop them in here, I'll be happy to help out.

Thanks Heatho, what brand of small pinpointer do you have?

Gary

I've just got the minelab one but there are quite a few other good ones, Detecnix, Whites, Garrett, Nocta. I don't actually like the Minelab one and might buy a Detecnix one sooner or later. The ML one falses and carries on quite a bit, any pressure at all on the tip will make it false signal.

Saw a guy who had 4 pin pointers. Best he said was the Garrett carrot, best bang for buck was the Mars.

Cheers Rod, I'll definitely be in the market for a new one soon, the ML is infuriating some days. They really need to develop a new one in my opinion.